Art of making sugar.



U'N 1T TAT PATENT FFTQE.

ART OF MAKING SUGAR.

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 2, 1909.

Patented Sept. 21, 1999. Serial No. 505,568.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEFAN VON GnABsKI, a subject of the German Emperor, and residing at Kruschwitz, Province of Posen, Empire of Germany, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in the Art of Making Sugar, of which the following is a specification.

The subject-matter of my invention is a process of utilizing carbonation or saturation gases produced in lime-kilns during the manufacture of sugar-prior to the carbonation process.

The carbonation gases generated in limekilns and necessary in the manufacture of sugar are purified and cooled, before their employment in carbonation, and after they have been used some time for preliminarily heating the raw material employed in the lime-kiln itself, generally by sending the gases through a washer in which they leave behind their mechanical impurities and simultaneously lose the superfluous heat which is undesirable particularly for the carbonic acid pump.

Now a primary object of my invention is to utilize this heat, which was only troublesome heretofore, in another and profitable manner by conducting the gases coming from the lime-kiln, after separating from them the mechanical impurities, through the beet chips or the like which are to be dried, so that the heat of the carbonation gases dries the beet chips, whereupon the gases now saturated with steam are liberated from this steam before being employed in carbonation. It is to be observed here that it is by no means unknown in itself to utilize hot furnace gases directly for drying various materials. Nevertheless there is special progress here inasmuch as gases are used which, after the drying process, serve an additional special purpose, 2'. c. carbonation, and which it was thought heretofore could not be utilized again on account of their heat. This employment is enabled, however, according to my invention, by liberating the gases, after they have been utilized for drying pur poses, from the steam taken up by them and obtaining them again in that condition which is necessary for the principal purpose, 2'. e. carbonation, so that the same gases are made available for serving, besides their purpose known heretofore, an additional special purpose, namely drying the beet chips or the like, which means for the manufacturer, in

general, a considerable economic advantage when it is taken into account that heretofore either a special furnace or a special source of vapor had to be present for drying said chips.

My new process also makes superfluous the washer which was usual heretofore for the carbonation gases, since the mass of beet chips which is to be dried itself forms the body by which the gases are liberated from any impurities still remaining in them and leave the drying apparatus at a temperature which admits of their further employment in carbonation without further ado.

My process is preferably carried into practice by first liberating the gases coming from the lime-kiln from their mechanical impurities, by sending the gases through a suitably formed filter, for example, and then supplying them through piping of the drying apparatus, formed in the usual manner, to the beet chips which are to be dried in such manner that the admission of air which could dilute the gases is possible neither during the filtration nor during the drying. In consequence of the action of these hot gases in the drying apparatus the water contained in the mass of beet chips is gradually vaporized, as usual, and the steam formed is sucked away together with the gases preferably by the carbonic acid pump customary at the present time in sugar-works. Before they pass into the carbonation plant, however, theyare preferably sent through a condenser, in which the steam carried with them is condensed and the carbonation gases are consequently liberated from it. This condenser is preferably interpolated between the pump and the drying apparatus, so that the pump has to convey only the volume of the gases not loaded with steam. After the gases have been perfectly purified in the mass of beet chips in this manner on the one hand, and have lost their superfluous heat by drying the said chips on the other hand, they can be passed at once by the pump into the carbonation plant and be used here as usual.

As already mentioned above, by employing my process a considerable saving will be brought about in the sugar industry inasmuch as it is unnecessary to procure for drying the beet chips a special furnace plant or I source of vapor as was usual heretofore.

I claim:

That improvement in the art of manufac turing sugar Which consists in separating mechanical impurities from the lime kiln gases, passing said gases in their hot state through the chips for drying the latter, separating from said gases the Water absorbed from said chips and subsequently utilizing 10 said gases in the carbonation process.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

STEFAN VON GRABSKI. Witnesses HENRY HASPER, WOLDEMAR HAUPT. 

